A tale of 2 lives - one in World War 2 and one in the present day.

Pamela completed her schooling in 1942 with exceptional exam results and is heading for Oxford University, but defers entry having been head-hunted to undertake secret Government work. Having signed the Official Secrets Acet she heads off to Bletchley Park , en route, meeting Clarissa who is heading the same way and is set to become a life-long friend. She works diligently alongside like-minded people, in particular shy Edwin, but soon falls in love with handsome Frank, a Gardner at Woburn Abbey where she and Clarissa are billeted. Could Frank become her life-long partner or will everything go wrong and will she find herself in great danger

Julia, frantically busy running a business in partnership with Ian, struggles to find time for her two sons and increasingly more jealous and moody husband. Taking rare time off she arranges a day out for all of them to Bletchley Park, but at the last minute her husband has to work so just the three of them visit and explore the fascinating buildings. Not long afterwards her brother brings her a box of old family photographs and during her rare spare time she immerses herself in her mother’s past, only to find numerous photographs of her standing in front of Bletchley House. Why did her mother never mention this to either her or her brother. Clarissa’s name appears on some of the photographs and eventually she is able to contact her granddaughter who can throw more light onto the turbulent times between 1942 and the end of the war. It links uncannily with Julia’s troubled home life and leads her to having to make serious decisions about her future.

The Girl from Bletchley Park by Kathleen McGurl was a fascinating novel told in two timelines...one current and the other starting in 1942, during WW2 in England.

In the present day, Julia is struggling with the idea that she can have it all. Running her own business with a partner out of her home, her teenage sons have become distant and her husband even more so. All of her attempts to reach out to her husband for more intimacy fall on deaf ears and she begins to wonder if perhaps he is having an affair. When her brother brings her a box of photos from her grandparents home, Julie is launched into a search of her grandmother's past, as her grandmother apparently had some long held secrets she never shared.

In 1942, Pam is graduating high school and planning to attend Oxford University to read mathematics. Her teacher pulls her aside before graduation and tells her of a top secret war project that is searching for smart women to work at Bletchley Park, doing work that no one will discuss. She arranges for an interview for Pam and she's hired for her quick mind and great attitude. She will be working on decoding German messages that have been intercepted by the Allies, but has to tell family and friends that she is a secretary. She holds these secrets her entire life.

As Julie searches her grandmother's past, with the help of a diary written by her aunt and being fed to her page by page, she uncovers the truth about her grandmother's adventures and her contribution to the war effort, as well as the truth about her marriage and her business. Can one woman really have it all without sacrificing something along the way?

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The author's attention to detail and descriptions were wonderful...although I must admit that the time spent in 1942 at Bletchley Park was the most fascinating part of the book! Thank you to the author, HQ Digital and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. #Kathleen McGurl. #TheGirlfromBletchleyPark #NetGalley

★★★★ 4.5 stars

I first discovered Kathleen McGurl a couple of years ago with "The Forgotten Secret" and absolutely loved it. I have since read and also enjoyed "The Lost Sister" and now I can add THE GIRL FROM BLETCHLEY PARK to the list. Of course most people know about Bletchley Park's involvement during the second world war, so with that in mind it also ticked the box of being wartime fiction as well as my much favoured dual timeline story. Unlike other dual timelines though, THE GIRL FROM BLETCHLEY PARK weaves two compelling tales together that, whilst being entwined, are also completely separate. Intrigued?

The story begins in the present day with Julia, mother of two boys Oscar (14) and Ryan (12), juggling her flailing marriage and a successful IT business. The downside of running such a business, particularly when it is situated in the home, is that you never really leave work behind at the end of the day. And as much as Julia tried to do so things had a way of grabbing her attention and thus her then having to deal with it. It was one thing her husband of fifteen years Marc loathed, feeling as though she was never really present even when she was. But he also as jealous of the fact that she was the main breadwinner in the family with her salary purchasing their substantial home as well as paying the mortgage. He never outwardly admitted it but the sentiment was there, as were his frequent absences citing work as his excuse.

It was during one of these absences that Julia's brother Bob, who was a commercial pilot, popped in for a visit with a treasure trove of goodies for his sister that he'd found stashed in the home he inherited in Devon. Bob had decided to sell since he was never there and came across some old photos and mementos he thought his sister might be interested in. Some were photos of their late grandmother with the renowned Bletchley Park in the background. The photos, having been taken during the war years, left them wondering what it was their grandmother Pamela had been doing there since it certainly wouldn't have been open to the public during the war years.

Bletchley Park was the site of one of Britain's most prolific secret code breaking headquarters during the war. Anyone who had worked there had to sign the Offical Secrets Act and were sworn to absolute secrecy about the work they had done there...even long after the war had ended. So upon seeing their grandmother standing in front of Bletchley House with a few friends, one of which was also their grandfather, intrigued Julia and Bob wondering just how involved they were at Bletchley. Julia endeavoured to look into it in an attempt to uncover her grandmother's role during the war. When she contacted her gran's best friend's daughter Caroline, she was excited to learn that Caroline's mother Clarissa, with whom Pamela had worked alongside at Bletchley, had written a memoir in the 1990's revealing the nature of their work and lives in and around Bletchley.

It's 1942 and Pamela had just finished school and was preparing to take her place at Oxford reading mathematics when her teacher had called her aside and offered her something in which she could both use her mathematical brain and do something for the war effort for Britain. She gave her a name and instructions to follow up and without telling her parents Pamela made her way to Buckinghamshire for an interview. She was offered the job immediately and signed the Official Secrets Act and was inducted along with her fellow interviewees to become Wrens, beginning work in just a few days' time.

Deferring university until the end of the war, Pamela could only tell her family that she had joined the Wrens and would be working for the war effort. They seemed to understand the need for secrecy and respected that. Her brother Geoff had joined the RAF and was training as a fighter pilot, which worried both her and her parents alike as the life expectancy for a fighter pilot was very short.

Upon arrival at Bletchley, Pamela became friends with Clarissa whom she met at the interviews, and the two women were billeted together at nearby Woburn Abbey, a former stately home, though their jobs within Bletchley were at different ends of the scale. Not long after beginning work there, Pam met a handsome blonde man she'd seen lurking nearby on the day of her interview. She'd caught his eye on more than one occasion and he had offered her a tentative smile. She soon discovered he was a gardener at the house in which she was billeted unable to fight due to his asthma and his name was Frank Miller. The couple soon began to step out together, meeting up on days off whenever they could, and Pam felt herself beginning to fall for Frank. But when he started asking questions about her work, she could do nothing but fob him off with the answer they had been instructed to give. She was a secretary. He seemed satisfied with that and said no more.

Pamela was not without her suitors because although she was stepping out with Frank, she also held the interest of a much shyer and quieter colleague Edwin Denham. So much so Clarissa teased her about it. Pamela enjoyed Edwin's friendship but it was Frank she was enamoured with; a fact that was made obvious when they went to their first dance and while she had promised to dance with Edwin, it was with Frank she had spent most of her time. I kind of felt a little sorry for Edwin, fading into the background against the flashier more charismatic Frank.

But when it came down to it, Pamela found that it was Edwin she called on for help and advice. It was Edwin whose advice she valued and trusted. So then in the face of it, who would Pamela choose out of her two suitors?

THE GIRL FROM BLETCHLEY PARK is an easy and enjoyable read but I must say it is so difficult to review without the hint of spoilers! lol I love dual timeline stories but generally when reading them there is always one story I'm invested in more than the other...and that's usually the historical one. And I have to admit that when Julia's story began I was somewhat irritated by her lazy family's attitude, expecting her to pick up after them and wait on them whilst running her own business. Then to be bamboozled by the ins and outs of her IT business. I had little interest...until it began to get interesting. And then it had my attention. I couldn't decide then which timeline I preferred and both stories were equally compelling and intriguing. I did, however, find the technical aspects of Bletchley a little above my head and the very unmathematical part of was a little lost in part but the rest of the story was wholly engrossing.

The story unfolds in alternate chapters between Julia and Pam respectively, each revealing just a little bit more with each chapter. It was in part largely predictable but not unenjoyable. The twists weren't unexpected and I correctly figured them out along the way but then this wasn't a mystery either. I did find it similar in storyline to "The Secrets of Latimer House" by Jules Wake which I read a couple of months ago and thoroughly enjoyed...maybe a little more than this one, admittedly. But having said that, THE GIRL FROM BLETCHLEY PARK is still wonderfully written with the right amount of suspense and intrigue interwoven with the historical aspect.

Overall, THE GIRL FROM BLETCHLEY PARK is captivating and compelling with both timeline plots interwoven seamlessly in relation to the other.The conclusion I felt was a little rushed and would have preferred to end on the historical timeline rather than Julia's. That and the slow start to Julia's story knocks off just a meagre half star as the rest of the story made up for it.

Perfect for fans of dual timelines and authors such as Lorna Cook, Suzanne Kelman and Suzanne Goldring.

I would like to thank #KathleenMcGurl, #Netgalley, #HQStories and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheGirlFromBletchleyPark in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this story told about Julia and her family in the present day and Pamela ( Julia’s grandmother) in 1943. The older story had more appeal to me and I found Pamela’s life at Bletchley very interesting. In fact, I was disappointed when the story reverted to the present day, I just wanted to keep reading Pamela’s story. There is a romance for Pamela and two men vying for her, also some mystery event that happened. Julia is a strong and capable woman but doesn’t get much help from her husband, Marc. Julia learns more about her grandmother through photographs and memoirs. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a dual time story with a modern woman exploring her family’s secret history. Her grandmother had been part of the team at Bletchley Park working on intercepting German communications. The historical aspect of the novel had been well researched and from what I remember from visiting BP quite accurate. The characters were likeable and believable but the plot was a bit formulaic and there was nothing unexpected or controversial. A pleasant enough and easy read.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I loved this book and loved reading about everything that was done during WWII by Bletchley Park

I liked the way each of the main characters had a different voice and the two timelines.

It was a little sad of the way Clarissa was thought of as the grandmothers closest friend when it became clear she was a sister in law..

But, apart from this, I loved it.

Recommend this book.

I really loved reading this. I have visited Bletchley Park a few times so could visualise where part of the story was set.
Two timelines:
1942 Pam, who gave up a place in Oxford University to go to do her bit for the war effort, secures a place at Bletchley Park as a code-breaker and present day Julia, her grand-daughter who finds a camera belonging to Pam which leads her to find out more about what her grandmother did during the war.

I love historical fiction to this was right up my street. I loved it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which is a magnificent story spanning several generations and set both in the modern day and during the war.

In modern day we meet Julia, a mum who is let down badly by her husband and her business partner both of whom had for years been her rocks.

During the war we meet Pam who joins the Wrens and secures a job at Bletchley Park making a huge difference to the war effort and navigating the perils of young love.

Highly recommend and a 5 star read for me. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A tale that flips between modern day and WWII connecting two families to Bletchley Park. It shows the reader how strong women actually are under the most dire of circumstances, but more importantly how resilient they are as well. It’s a tale of intrigue, love, intellect, loyalty and patriotism.

I loved the glimpses of the inner workings of Bletchley Park. The friendships formed under the complicated era. It really was a fun read and I’d give it about 4.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

An exciting historical novel. Pamela was recruited to Bletchley Park in 1942. Julia is Pamela’s granddaughter and is on the trail to find out what Pamela did during the war but she also has her own problems as a hard working business owner, mother and wife.

The Girl From Bletchley Park is a sweet, easy to read novel set across dual timelines. The present-day narrative focuses on mum of two Julia as she tries to deal with her difficult marriage and struggling business. We also move back in time to the 1940s, as Julia’s grandmother Pam joins the Wrens to help with the war effort as a top-secret codebreaker.

Both storylines are easy to read and enjoyable. They’re quite different…but in many ways similar too – I felt frustrated with both Julia and Pam who seemed so ridiculously naive as to not see what was obviously staring them in the face. I wanted them to have a bit more spark about them sometimes. However, I really enjoyed reading about Julia and Pam, and though I would have liked to read more detail about the code-breaking parts in the 1940s timeframe, I liked the balance of modern-day and wartime narratives. Although Julia missed a lot of what was staring her in the face, she was a really likeable, down to earth person who I really warmed to!

This book also really made me want to visit Bletchley Park – somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for a long time! The history of that building is amazing and I’ll always enjoy reading books set in that location – this one being no exception. Also, what a gorgeous cover this book has! 😍

It’s a great book for curling up on the sofa with – pair with a cup of tea!

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot (there are other reviews like that out there if that's what you are looking for).

This was an enjoyable read. Being set in two timelines lifts it above the "expected" format of this type of historical fiction, and adds a lot to the story. There are paralells between Julia and Pamela's lives, which again adds to the tale.

I was drawn to this novel by the title, having visited Bletchley Park a couple of years ago following a fascination and admiration of the work carried out there (the fact that much of this "war work" was carried out in secret by women, against the usual expectations of what "women's work" entailed at that time, has always impressed me). It was nice to be able to visualise the setting, and having seen examples of the machines made it all the moreT realistic for me.

I feltl that the background had been well-researched, and was impressed when I found that the author had written it during the lockdown period (thus unable to visit the site in person during that time) - so all credit to her for that!

You'll enjoy this if you are a fan of historical novels with a touch of romance, and dual timeline stories. I'll happily read more by this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

KATHLEEN MCGURL – THE GIRL FROM BLETCHLEY PARK ****

I read this novel in advance of publication through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Before lockdown I visited BP which is why I chose this book to review. Because the BP element is mainly set during WW2, deciphering German codes that ultimately saved thousands of our young men from death, I found it particularly interesting; a human story to put what I had seen in perspective. Reading this book was for me like stepping back in time, the house and huts I had visited suddenly populated with ghosts from the past. This part of the story concerns Pam, a very bright young girl recruited to help the war effort because her mathematical ability. And, of course, the young man she falls in love with. It’s as though you have been transported back in the Tardis and are observing first-hand.

The modern-day element tells the story of Julia, a very bright coder and boss of a computer company run from a wing of her house, her husband, jealous of her success, and her very loving children. When her brother discovers old photos of their grandmother, and they develop a reel of film from a Box Brownie, she starts seeking out the truth of what her grandmother did, and why she had never spoken about it. She also must make life-changing decisions after her business partner betrays her.

Both story elements are strong. The shuttling back and forth, and what Julia discovers about Pam, and keeping the plates spinning regarding her business, keeps you turning the pages.

The sum of the parts is much more than a love story. Well worth a read.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping novel

this is pam and julias story. each has alternative chapters relating to their stories.. and it works really well

pam is just about to finish school and go onto university to study maths... when she is approached to go for an interview at Bletchley park, her teacher cant tell her any more only that its to do with the war effort

julia is running her own successful business with her best friend and also bringing up her own family doing most of the household chores with not much help from her husband

this is an amazing story and kept me hooked as you find out early on that pam and julia are related and nobody knows about the bletchley park storyline in her pams life...she has kept it secret to the grave and its only by accident that they find out...

and reading the separate storylines its uncanny how they are both similar

but this story is so much more than bp its also about betrayals and trust, its heartstopping as well....

going to be keeping an eye out for more of this authors works from now on.. she knows how to keep a storyline flowing and her characters are so real

Kathleen McGurl, The Girl from Bletchley Park, HQ Digital, 2021

The Girl from Bletchley Park is written from the perspective of two strong women, Pam and Julia, whose choice of partners and careers form the basis of the narrative. Their stories are told alternately, from Pam’s perspective during the second world war, and Julia’s in the present day. Both narratives involve the complexities both women face in dealing with romance, marriage, and paid work. Pam’s story raises the serious ramifications of choosing a partner from the beginning of her relationships with two distinctly different men. Julia’s story begins after years of happy marriage which has produced two teenage sons.

Each woman must deal with the joys and challenges of their paid work, and life outside that work. Pam grapples with mastering her complex responsibilities at Bletchley Park, developing romances, and making friendships. Julia’s story examines women’s challenging role juggling a career and domestic responsibilities where her sons follow her husband’s example of doing little around the home but expecting much. Julia’s successful business is both a boon and a problem. Financially the family benefits. However, Julia’s husband is somewhat wary of her success, and at times the domestic and business demands clash.

The women’s stories collide when Julia and her brother find their grandmother’s box brownie camera with an undeveloped film inside. When that film is developed Pam’s past is discovered, highlighting her so far unknown work and friendships during the war. Signing the Official Secrets Act impacts on her war time relationships and the honesty with which she conducts them; her determination to maintain that secrecy afterwards has left her story unexplored. She leaves the war behind, like the film in the camera, when she begins her post war life.

However, Pam’s war time story is worth telling, from her facility with maths, to her eventual acceptance as a coder at Bletchley Park. This is particularly eventful, with her introduction to the huge coding machine, the Colossus computer, and the associated Tunny Machine on which she worked breaking codes; deaths; spies; and friendships across class lines. She has serious decisions to make, these contrasting with the social life of romances, dances and picnics that are also an integral part of her war time life.

Julia is a hard-working career woman grappling with the challenges of fulfilling an unrealistic ideal domestic role at the same time as earning much of the income on which the family depends. In accepting a major part of domestic responsibilities early in the novel she does little to change the dynamic in the marriage and household. However, Julia, like Pam, has some tough decisions to make. She must decide what to do about her marriage, her business, and her sons. Her story weaves these concerns together with her investigation of Pam’s life.

Kathleen McGurl has deftly combined the exigencies of wartime with the domestic drama of peace time. The connections made between Pam’s and Julia’s lives are enhanced by Julia’s visit to Bletchley Park with her sons late in the novel which brings together the personal and public impact of Pam’s work. The visit to Bletchley Park also creates an interest in the story beyond this fictional account. Like the author who says that she would like to visit Bletchley Park, readers are also encouraged to investigate the events behind Pam’s story. My enjoyment of the novel was certainly enhanced by having visited Bletchley Park several years ago. The combination of fictional events and characters, past and present; some real characters from the past; and a present day visit to the scene of Pam’s story provides further insight into this intriguing feature of World War 11. At the same time, the women’s personal stories are developed well, making this an overall engaging read.

I really enjoyed this book. The dual stories is becoming more popular with authors. You have to be a talented writer to get this right and Kathleen McGurl does just this.

Flitting between the present and the war. This book is a great read and flows well

Highly recommend

This dual timeline story is split almost equally between the present and the past. The connection is Julia and her grandmother. via photos. While the stories are very different, the women in them are very similar. They follow similar paths and challenges with both women proving how strong they can be. I love dual timeline stories and was at first disappointed that the stories did not seem to have a lot to do with each other but enjoyed both stories. It was after I finished the book I realized how close the themes were.

Time for the final of my holiday reads and it is another ARC edition book. The Girl from Bletchley Park follows two narratives: the first being of Julia, an IT business owner who is trying to find the balance between work and family, and Pam, Julia's grandmother who worked at Bletchley Park during WW2 breaking codes.
I was drawn to this book as I am myself a woman in the field of ICT and technology, and due to my work as a teacher of IT, I have the pleasure of teaching my students about the amazing work that went on during the war at Bletchley Park and how the effort made there by the men and women codebreakers meant that the war turned in our favour.
As I have discussed before, there are very few dual storyline books that I enjoy as I feel like somewhere down the line one of the plots gets forgotten about or the quality of writing in one isn't as good as the other. However, this book avoids that throughout which I was so happy about considering how much I was looking forward to reading this book.
The wartime story boasts lots of twists and turns that, while they could be expected, seem like they come out of nowhere like the truth about Pam's boyfriend Frank. It seems fairly accurate in terms of what you would expect to be happening during the time period discussed in this section of the book, and you aren't lulled into a false sense of non-fictional writing which some more fictional historical novels can fall into doing.
The modern section was also well written and I loved the similarities that were there between Julia and her grandmother. The relationships within the family and those around Julia were well-established meaning that when things started turning for the worse, you did feel sorry for Julia and those around her. My only criticism would be that there was a part of the storyline that was a little too obvious but that could be due to my own personal experiences in life so some people may be shocked by that part of the modern story.
A very brief review of this book as I have been struggling to write more without giving away parts of the story that would be best kept a secret until you read it yourself. All in all, a very well-written book that would appeal to everyone whether you know about Bletchley or not. The only thing that stopped it from getting that perfect rating for me was the obviousness of one of the main plot points in the modern section.

Fictional WW2 based on Bletchely Park Dual Timeline grandmother and granddaughters lives brought together through an old Brownie box camera and photos the granddaughter Julia had processed and also her Grandmother Pam’s friend Clarissa who she worked with at Bletchley Park who had written a version of their lives during the war.

I loved reading this book with great characters.

This dual timeline book is an enjoyable read that I would categorize as women's fiction with an historical aspect. The present timeline follows Julia, who juggles running a software company, being mom to 2 boys, and a husband who doesn't do anything to help out around the house. Her story alternates with that of her grandmother, Pamela, who was recruited to work at Bletchley Park (BP) shortly after graduating from school in 1942. Pamela's story is more about her day-to-day life and how she met Julia's grandfather than her work at BP. In the present, Julia's brother is cleaning out their grandparents' house and brings Julia some old photos and a Brownie camera that still holds an undeveloped film. When Julia has the photos developed, she realizes her grandmother worked at BP. As she tries to learn more about her grandmother's role in the war effort, Julia's life starts to crumble around her and she has to reassess the priorities in her life. Some of the big developments in the book were easy to see coming, but it didn't detract from enjoying the story. The book was very easy to engage in and I enjoyed the characters and their "real life" problems.